TFF Pharmaceuticals Partners with Emory University and BARDA to Develop a Dry Powder Inhaled mRNA-based Treatment for Influenza and COVID
11 September 2024 - 1:00PM
TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc (Nasdaq: TFFP) (the “Company” or “TFF
Pharmaceuticals”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
focused on developing and commercializing innovative drug products
based on its patented Thin Film Freezing (TFF) technology platform,
today announces its new partnership with Emory University and the
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Under the partnership, TFF Pharmaceuticals will test the
feasibility of converting Emory’s mRNA-based Cas13a antiviral
against influenza A and B and SARS-CoV-2 into a dry powder
formulation for more precise inhalational delivery, improved
stability and widespread distribution without the need for
cold-chain storage.
The competitively awarded Easy Broad Agency
Announcement (EZ-BAA) contract supports early-stage therapeutic
platform development under BARDA’s Flexible and Strategic
Therapeutics (FASTx) program. The FASTx program is designed to
transform antiviral therapy by developing rapidly adaptable
platforms to combat viral threats through the use of next
generation technology such as clustered regular interspaced short
palindromic repeat-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas), which can be
rapidly manufactured in response to emerging viral threats.
“Viruses pose a significant public health
challenge through their ability to evolve rapidly, which renders
traditional antiviral therapies ineffective and risks widespread
outbreaks in case of emerging strains. Our partnership with Emory
University and BARDA is an important opportunity to deploy our TFF
technology to combat rapidly changing respiratory viruses,
including influenza and COVID,” said Dr. Harlan Weisman, TFF
Pharmaceuticals’ Chief Executive Officer. “Inhalational delivery of
antiviral therapy against respiratory viruses is poised to drive
efficacy by providing the drug where the virus replicates while
improved stability and room temperature storage enhance
practicality for widespread distribution.”
“TFFs novel dry powder formulation provides an
important new approach to address the unmet need for precise
delivery of novel therapeutics against potentially deadly
respiratory viral infections. With ever-changing influenza and
COVID strains emerging, flexibility of delivery without the need
for cold chain storage and distribution is all the more important.
We look forward to working closely with the TFF team to develop new
approaches to treat these conditions faster and more efficiently,”
said Philip J. Santangelo, Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter
Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech School of
Engineering and Emory University School of Medicine.
This work is supported with federal funds from
BARDA, part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and
Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS).
ABOUT TFF PHARMACEUTICALS’ THIN FILM
FREEZING (TFF) TECHNOLOGYTFF Pharmaceuticals’ proprietary
Thin Film Freezing (TFF) technology allows for the transformation
of both existing compounds and new chemical entities into dry
powder formulations exhibiting unique characteristics and benefits.
The TFF process is a particle engineering process designed to
generate dry powder particles with advantageous properties for
inhalation, as well as parenteral, nasal, oral, topical and ocular
routes of administration. The process can be used to engineer
powders for direct delivery to the site of need, circumventing
challenges of systemic administration and leading to improved
bioavailability, faster onset of action, and improved safety and
efficacy. The ability to deliver therapies directly to the target
organ, such as the lung, allows TFF powders to be administered at
lower doses compared to oral drugs, reducing unwanted toxicities
and side effects. Laboratory data suggest the aerodynamic
properties of the powders created by TFF can deliver as much as 75%
of the dose to the deep lung. TFF does not introduce heat, shear
stress, or other forces that can damage more complex therapeutic
components, such as fragile biologics, and instead enables the
reformulation of these materials into easily stored and
temperature-stable dry powders, making therapeutics and vaccines
more accessible for distribution worldwide. The advantages of TFF
can be used to enhance traditional delivery or combined to enable
next-generation pharmaceutical products.
ABOUT TFF PHARMACEUTICALS
TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company engaging patented rapid freezing
technology to develop and transform medicines into potent dry
powder formulations for better efficacy, safety, and stability. The
company’s versatile TFF technology platform has broad applicability
to convert most any drug, including vaccines, small and large
molecules, and biologics, into an elegant dry powder highly
advantageous for inhalation, or for topical delivery to the eyes,
nose and the skin.
SAFE HARBOR
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements in this press
release include, but are not limited to, statements by the Company
relating to the potential development of a novel, innovative
approach for treating respiratory viruses, including influenza and
COVID, using its TFF technology. Forward-looking statements involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially, including (i) the risk
that the Company’s partnership with Emory University and BARDA may
not lead to a successful treatment of respiratory viruses, such as
influenza and COVID, (ii) the risk that the Company may not be able
to obtain additional working capital with which to continue its
current operations and clinical trials as and when needed, (iii)
success in early phases of pre-clinical and clinical trials do not
ensure later clinical trials will be successful; (iv) no drug
product incorporating the TFF platform has received FDA pre-market
approval or otherwise been incorporated into a commercial drug
product, (v) the Company has no current agreements or
understandings with any large pharmaceutical companies for the
development of a drug product incorporating the TFF Platform, and
(vi) those other risks disclosed in the section “Risk Factors”
included in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with
the SEC on August 14, 2024. The Company cautions
readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking
statements. The Company does not undertake and specifically
disclaims any obligation to update or revise such statements to
reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur,
except as required by law.
Investor Relations Contact:Core
IRJason Nelsoninvestorinfo@tffpharma.com
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